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Mankato News Anchor Charged With DWI

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NORTH MANKATO, Minn. (WCCO) — A news anchor for KEYC-TV in Mankato has been charged with driving while intoxicated, not long after a video showing her slurring through a newscast went viral.

According to the criminal complaint, 28-year-old Annie Stensrud was arrested in the city of North Mankato just before noon on Dec. 21, 2011, for probable cause DWI. She was charged Tuesday with one count of third-degree driving while impaired and two counts of fourth degree driving while impaired.

A witness called 911 to report the driver, and the call was transferred to Nicollet County dispatch. Nicollet County then sent one of their officers to pull her over. The complaint states as she attempted to get out of her car for field sobriety tests, she struggled to stand on her own and had to hold her open car door to stay upright. Stensrud then refused to perform those sobriety tests as well as a preliminary breath test.

She was then arrested and booked into the Nicollet County Jail. Toxicology tests put Stensrud’s blood alcohol at 0.31, which is nearly four times the legal limit.

If convicted on all offenses, Stensrud faces up to 18 months in prison and $5,000 in fines.

Earlier last month, a video showing Stensrud struggling to get through a newscast caught national attention.

Station general manager Dennis Walhstrom talked with WCCO Radio about the incident, claiming Stensrud had “been sick.” He said she was taking medication and missing a lot of work, but wanted to get back on air.

Walhstrom said, on the day of the newscast in question, she was not drunk but had a bad reaction to the medication.